


That's Rough Buddy

by boomtowne



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Canonical Child Abuse, Episode: s03e14-15 The Boiling Rock, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Past Abuse, Sokka Comforting Zuko, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar (Avatar), obligatory 'sokka learns how zuko got his scar, sokka and zuko on the war balloon, yall can consider this a ship fic if ya want
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25780771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomtowne/pseuds/boomtowne
Summary: On their way to the Boiling Rock, Sokka's curiosity gets the better of him and he asks Zuko how he got his scar.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 458





	That's Rough Buddy

**Author's Note:**

> I adore atla and so i knew i had to write something for it so heres this! (this is probably terrible but who cares)
> 
> (also how would yall feel if i turned this into a collection of sokka/zuko stuff? or leave this as a oneshot)

Sokka and Zuko's mission to the Boiling Rock had barely begun and it seemed that they had both already become bored. About fifteen minutes before they had ended a conversation, however when that one concluded, they had both struggled to find a new topic so they remained silent. 

Sokka sat on the floor of the war balloon twiddling his fingers out of boredom. For the millionth time he thought about what it felt like to waterbend. Of course he knew he didn't need bending and he thought he was perfectly fine without it but he enjoyed lingering on what it could've been like. His mouth upturned as he thought about a scenario in which he had waterbending and his sister, Katara was a nonbender. It amused him to think about what his 'goody two shoes' sister would be like without her special abilities. Of course this would never happen. Sokka just wasn't the bending type and there was nothing wrong with it, and maybe he had briefly been jealous of Katara's bending but he wasn't anymore. After all, someone had to be the boomerang guy. 

On the other side of the war balloon, Zuko stood leaning on the sides of the balloon, looking out to the vast ocean of clouds and air. It was tranquil and yet Zuko's mind was restless. Sokka looked up to the firebender and took notice of his expression. It was mostly blank and emotionless however upon looking at his amber colored eyes he could tell that something was up. 

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked. Zuko was slightly startled by his voice but he turned to face him. 

"Nothing, why?" he lied. His mind had been swirling like a raging storm. All he could think about was the Fire Nation, the family he had left behind, Mai, and what would happen to him if the Avatar failed to take down his father. 

"Oh I just thought you looked a bit upset" Sokka responded, pausing for a moment but continuing "Ya know, I am here if you need to talk". He went back to twiddling his fingers and Zuko turned his face back to the sky around them. The blue was almost nauseatingly bright and it didn't help his thoughts. 

Sokka's gaze moved from his hands to the fire prince. His stare stuck to the scar that covered his left eye. Though he felt weird about asking, his curiosity was growing and thus he spoke.   
  
"Zuko, if it's not too much trouble could I ask you a question?" Zuko looked back at the water tribe boy, his blue eyes wide in what he interpreted as anticipation. He nodded in response. "How did you get your scar?" Sokka questioned. The words processed in Zuko's brain and as they did so he felt a pang in his heart. He had a feeling that this would happen eventually but he was surprised that it was Sokka to be the first to ask. Previously he had believed that the Avatar would be the one, seeing as they had bonded the most since Zuko had betrayed the Fire Nation. 

For a moment, it was dead quiet. The only thing that Zuko could hear was the wind as the war balloon traveled through the air as well as the pounding of the heart in his chest. Sokka broke the silence. 

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked" Zuko turned his head to face him.

"No, it's okay, I can tell you" he replied. 

"It was three years ago," he sighed. "My father had taken the Fire Nation throne a couple years back and I wanted to prove to my father that I could someday take the throne in his place," Zuko stared off into the distance as he spoke "My father had always liked Azula better and I could tell that if he could pick, she would be the next Fire Lord. Back then, I was desperate to show him that I was worthy and one day I wanted to take part in one of the war meetings. Though my uncle tried to sway me I argued and he allowed me to attend." 

Zuko turned his face to Sokka briefly. The Water Tribe boy's face was concentrated on Zuko's, he didn't interrupt. 

"In the war meeting, the general had devised a plan to use the newest batch of recruits in the Fire Nation's army as bait. I spoke out against it and my father was furious, the only way that I could be punished was an Agni Kai. I had believed that the duel was against the general, who's plan I had spoken out against, however to my dismay it was actually against my own father" 

Sokka's expression changed slightly, he became more concerned. 

"I begged and I begged but my father wouldn't back down, and as punishment for speaking out and showing weakness in the Agni Kai, he gave me this" Zuko's hand drifted up to the left side of his face where the scar was located. He lightly touched it with his fingertips and the memories became flooding back. He could feel the blast of fire that his father had shot at him and he remembered hearing his own scream of agony as it singed his flesh.

After he had endured the attack from his father he had writhed on the ground for a moment before he was removed from the room. He was patched up and then banished to search for the Avatar, and only then would he be able to return home. Though Zuko had searched and searched for so long he was starting to believe that the Avatar was gone and that he had no luck of ever finding him. However Zuko did find the Avatar, and here he was today, helping him and his group to take down his father, Fire Lord Ozai. 

Zuko remained silent after he had finished talking, and it seemed like the entire world had gone quiet.

"Zuko..." Sokka spoke, breaking the silence "I'm so-"

"Forget it, Sokka" Zuko interrupted "You have no need to apologize, you're not my father." The prince turned his head to Sokka who was still sitting on the floor of the war balloon "He's the only one who needs to apologize, and he can do that when Aang destroys him," his heart ached upon thinking about it. He hated his father, he hated being related to him. However Ozai was still his family, regardless of how horrible of a man he was and there was a pit that had begun to grow in his stomach when he thought about it. A realization hit him as he thought. Zuko would never find out what happened to his mother. Zuko's eyes began to water, however he refused to let himself cry. 

Sokka noticed that the prince had begun to tear up and so he stood up and began to approach him. 

"Hey," Sokka placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder "Everything's gonna be alright." He wanted to scream. He wanted everything to go back to how it was before his father had become the Fire Lord. Before his mother was gone. When he and Azula were only kids, without a care in the world. What happened? What happened to his family? They had been so happy before, and now they were in shambles. A missing mother, a broken daughter, an evil father, and a traitorous son. Zuko missed it, he longed for the days where he could be with his sister and she wouldn't try and kill him with lightning. But no matter how much he missed his childhood, it wouldn't return. 

Zuko sighed, "Thank you, Sokka."

"Hmm?" Sokka was confused "What are you thanking me for?"

Zuko's blank expression turned content. His mouth upturned in a smile as he looked at his new friend. 

"For listening." 


End file.
